568 SHADOW, THE
headquarters. His most prominent alias was that of Lamont Cranston, a millionaire
playboy. In 1937, Th e Shadow Unmasks revealed the hero’s true identity to be Kent
Allard, a famed World War I aviator and spy. Seeking new challenges after the war, he
faked his death in a South American jungle and returned to the United States to fi ght
crime. Later adventures created more ambiguity as they raised questions regarding the
validity of this origin. On radio and other media, this complicated back-story was dis-
carded as Lamont Cranston was Th e Shadow’s true self. While the hero possessed no
true superpowers, he was said to have acquired “the mysterious power to cloud men’s
minds, so that they could not see him” while he was traveling throughout Asia.
Th e Shadow was often assisted by a network of agents who joined in his crusade
against crime. Th e most notable were his right-hand man Harry Vincent, cabdriver
Moe “Shrevy” Shrevnitz, radio operator Burbank, gangster Cliff Marsland, and Margo
Lane, a wealthy socialite and potential love interest. He also gained numerous enemies,
such as international spies, mad scientists, gangland kingpins, and various supervillains.
Th e Shadow’s most frequently recurring foes included Th e Voodoo Master, Th e Cobra,
and Th e Wasp; Shiwan Khan, Th e Shadow’s archenemy, fi rst appeared in 1939. Th is
descendant of Genghis Khan repeatedly fought the hero in his attempts to conquer the
world.
Th e Shadow’s popularity in the pulp magazines led to a wave of merchandise that
included coloring books, wrist watches, sheet music, disguise and fi ngerprint kits, and
comics. In 1937, the character returned to radio, but not as merely a narrator. Orson
Welles starred as Lamont Cranston and Agnes Moorehead portrayed Margo Lane in
Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston, a.k.a. the Shadow, in the 1994 film The Shadow, directed by
Russell Mulcahy. Universal/Photofest
